In September, I talked with Colonel Haas about why I thought integrating the Crucible hikes was necessary, and I explained that I thought it could be a simple change to the training. I didn't go to my peers first. The Marine Corps is not a democracy. I went to Colonel Haas, who was the only person who could make the decision and direct the battalion commanders to comply.
For whatever reason, Haas supported me in this and agreed to integrate the Crucible hike. But instead of announcing the change himself and requiring the other battalions to comply, he told me I should tell them myself. So, I sent my peers at the other battalions an email saying something to the effect of, “Hey, just wanted to let you know what's up and why it's important.”
In an email back to me, not copying the other battalion commanders, Kissoon said something like, “Yup. I'm all for it. Let's do it.”
Then, about twenty minutes later, he sent me another email, this time copying the COs for First and Second Battalions, basically saying, “We're not doing this. This is crap. If you think this is worth doing, then, as a commander, you owe it to us to tell us why before the decision is made.”
I don't know what changed in the space of twenty minutes, but rather than letting me know directly, he acted as if he hadn't just said that the integrated hikes were a good idea, and instead he laid me out for not asking for his permission—even though we were equals and his “permission” was not at all required.
That was my second run-in with this guy. I let Colonel Haas know about the problems I had with Kissoon, but he didn't help me.
But we did the hikes. I think First and Second Battalions were first in the chute with us. We worked out the logistical kinks, and everything was good. And it did make a difference in the way the female recruits and drill instructors were perceived by their peers. The male recruits had the opportunity to see the women gutting out this final, painful movement back to the parade deck for the emblem ceremony, and it ensured that they knew the women had earned the title just like they had.
In fact, after we worked out the initial logistical requirements, the hikes with First and Second Battalions seemed to run like clockwork. I couldn't say the same for the hikes with Third Battalion. They would intentionally do things to distance the male recruits from the women, like placing ambulances between the male and female formations, when, normally, the ambulances followed the last group of hikers. Third Battalion would also take off earlier than scheduled after bathroom breaks, and they were notorious for making their recruits run—rather than hiking according to the three-mile-per-hour doctrinal hike pace—just to make it look as if the women couldn't keep up with the men.
And then three months into our integrated hikes, Kissoon sent Colonel Haas and all of the battalion commanders an email with an after-action review. (After training exercises and missions, the military looks at what went well and what didn't: after-action review.)
“I have determined no value has been added to the training of recruits by executing the final Crucible foot march concurrently with Fourth Battalion compared to the prescribed execution described in the Crucible Order,” he wrote. “In fact, it creates a distraction and collectively we have proven that values based training works to bridge any perceived gender gaps as a result of single gender training at Parris Island.”
According to Kissoon, the classes that the recruits received about sexual harassment and assault were so effective that no gender integration was necessary. I found his perspective interesting since, despite being the smallest service, the Marine Corps’ rate of sexual misconduct is higher than any other service in the Department of Defense.
It's the unequal high-school dress code issue all over again: “Females” are a distraction. Like my recruits were out there wearing bikinis.
In reality, they'd spent three days in the field with no showers.
And even if they had been wearing bikinis—and if they had bathed—our male recruits should know how to act around their peers, regardless of gender.
This wasn't leadership by committee. Colonel Haas had made the decision to integrate the hikes, but apparently Kissoon felt like he could question Haas's decision by popping off the after-action email.
Haas didn't respond to the emails, nor did he bring it up during our staff meeting with all of the COs.
So, first, Colonel Haas didn't have my back on this. He didn't respond to all of us to explain how integrating the hikes positively impacted the credibility of the female recruits.
And, second, he allowed a lieutenant colonel to publicly question his decision and didn't say anything.
For Marines, it's considered a cardinal sin to call out your commanding officer publicly this way. Think about it—how can a CO ensure good order and discipline and that his or her Marines will do what they are supposed to do when ordered to do it, if we allow subordinates to question decisions in this way?
Yet he said nothing.
He could have said, “Hey, you probably owe Kate an apology. Her Marines and recruits are pushing themselves hard.”
Because they were. They kept up with the male recruits, and they deserved to keep their places in the integrated hikes.
Instead, Haas met Kissoon with silence, which led Kissoon to believe he could question the integrated hikes again. And he did. Every time we hiked, there was some nonsense he broadcasted to Colonel Haas as a reason Fourth Battalion should be relegated to seclusion on another part of the base.
By sending the email to all of the battalion commanders and Colonel Haas, Kissoon publicly said he disagreed with a decision Colonel
